The chemistry of making soap is well known to the art. Processes for the manufacture of light transmitting soap, including those designated as transparent, have also been known for a long time; the oldest product known at this time being the English soap "Pears Transparent" which was first offered for sale at least as long ago as 1789, or over two hundred years ago.
A continuum of light transmitting soap exists. By accepted definition, "transparent soap" includes any soap through which a person of normal vision can see 14 point type through a bar approximately 0.65 cm thick Wells, F. M., Soap and Cosmetic Specialties, 31(6-7) June-July 1955. This definition includes soaps having various colors and hues.
Since at least 1875, transparent soap containing a message or other object has been known to the art. Strunz, R. E. U.S. Pat. No. 6,624 reissued Aug. 31, 1875 is the oldest patented example known to applicant. Numerous other transparent soaps with interior messages or articles have been found to exist, including Villain, U.S. Pat. No. 1,827,549 issued Oct. 13, 1931, and Inui et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,433 issued Mar. 12, 1985.
These patents share similar disadvantages. They require a multi step manufacturing process where at least a portion of the soap bar has hardened before the balance of the bar is cast, and then requires the solid and molten portions of the bar to fuse. They also pay no attention to the perceived transparency of the packaged finished product.
Even O'Neill U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,828, issued Dec. 16, 1975 for a method of making soap bars having increased maintained transparency, ignores the transparency of the packaged finished product.
O'Neill briefly discusses, see Col. 5 line 42--Col. 6 line 2, factors that can adversely effect transparency of a bar of soap. However even O'Neill fails to consider what effects the packaging of the finished product may have upon the transparency of the finished, packaged, product.
To a far greater extent than discussed in Wells, F. M., Soap and Cosmetic Specialties, 31(6-7) June-July 1955, transparent products are apparently perceived to be desirable. Products from dish soaps to soda pop have employed clear formulations, many in transparent packages, to enhance their supposed appeal to the consumer. Similarly, there appears to have been little use of light transmitting soap, either alone or in a composite bar, for decorative purposes.
Also, unlike the famous floating IVORY.RTM. soap bar, which has a specific gravity of under 1.00, applicant is unaware of any transparent glycerine soap bar having a specific gravity of less than 1.00, Similarly, applicant is unaware of any transparent bar containing voids or air pockets within the bar which do not render the bar less transparent.
Prior to the filing of the parent application, such light transmission, or even transparency, has not been effectively employed with solid soap. First, there has been little manufacture of truly transparent soap, for which the accepted term appears to be "water clear". Second, little attention has been paid to the physics involved in transparently wrapping a light transmitting solid so that the light transmission of the finished product, in its transparent wrapping, may be observed. Third, absent such a clear wrapping, there has been little incentive to produce either simple or composite decorative light transmitting soap. Fourth, only after the filing of the parent application, have the impact of certain factors come to light.
This improved light transmission for packaged light transmitting soap cannot be accomplished simply by wrapping a solid bar of light transmitting or transparent soap in a clear plastic wrapper. While this method can be observed in the market place to work with clear liquids, the physical interfaces are different when a quasi solid soap bar is wrapped with flexible wrapping. The apparent, or observed light transmission of the soap is markedly diminished.
Further, such wrapping problems dramatically inhibit the use of light transmitting soap as a display piece. A soap bar intended for display could well contains objects such as artificial flowers or birds inside the bar of transparent soap, allowing such bars to serve as decorative objects. Alternatively, such a bar could contain a visual representation of an island in an ocean, with, for example, the name of the island superimposed over the island.
Even with the most transparent soap presently known to the art, and transparent wrap, the perceived transparency of the soap, as the individually wrapped soap, that is wrapped soap where the wrap is not in contact with molten soap, is displayed for sale, is substantially impaired. Applicant believes that this impaired transparency limits the utility, and the sales appeal, of such product.
As is also well known to the art, desired aroma emitting products, such as air fresheners, scent emitting paperweights, aroma therapy soaps, and the like, can, if desired, be manufactured in the same manner, and from similar ingredients as soaps, and have had even less attention directed towards their packaging. The visual transparency of such composite product, what ever its name, after wrapping, is substantially degraded.
These problems, though addressed, in part, in the parent application, have not been totally resolved prior to the filing of the subject application. Further, such a bar having a greater degree of durability would be highly desirable.
Applicant perceives that these concerns leaves a void which needs to be filled. It is towards filling this void that the subject invention is directed.